Diabetic Eye Diseases

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common ailments encountered by ophthalmologists and can result in severe retinal damage with devastating vision loss if left untreated. The treatment has evolved rapidly over the last few decades and has shown great promise in reducing the visual complications associated with diabetes. Recent technological advances have improved the screening process through telemedicine and ultrawide field imaging, especially in combination with new deep learning algorithms. The introduction of anti-VEGF agents has revolutionized treatment protocols for all forms of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. Ranibizumab, aflibercept, and bevacizumab have been studied extensively and are still undergoing multiple clinical trials to determine their efficacy in different stages of diabetic retinopathy. Traditional treatments such as steroids and laser have been improved upon by creating new methods of drug and laser delivery systems in order to improve efficacy and reduce the complications of treatment. Although the prevalence of diabetes is increasing for the next few decades, the modern ophthalmologist has never been better equipped to manage the severe complications of this disease.